Spencer calls new DC Tarver “rising star”

In a phone interview, new Raiders cornerback Shawntae Spencer said one of the team’s best acquisitions was defensive coordinator Jason Tarver. Tarver, 37, was a defensive assistant when Spencer played for the 49ers.

“He is a rising star,” Spencer said. “Been underused for so long. He just has so much intelligence when it comes to the X’s and O’s. He is one of the brightest minds out there.”

Tarver and the Raiders reached out to Spencer hours after they heard the 49ers cut the eight-year veteran.

The days of the Raiders relying heavily on their cornerbacks playing one-on-one are done. Spencer and the rest of the team got their playbooks last week as the offseason program officially began Monday.

“We’re still learning — We don’t even have one-third of the playbook in yet,” Spencer said. “But we’re definitely not going to be one-dimensional. We’re going to have a little bit of everything — man, zone, zone pressures. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”